Fran Ribaño 1966-2010

by Boyet J. Sison

Fran and I met around 30 years ago through common friends. Our love of music and dancing actually brought us together. I was already a club DJ by then, so we were part of a very big group that shared the same interests. As the years passed, we remained good friends to the point that when we hit our 40s, our friendship grew even better as we were still involved with the nightlife scene, each helping the other out in our respective careers.
 
I called her “the lean, mean, entertainment machine” for the simple reason that she was passionate and tireless in all her endeavors. Her desire to do her best at everything she set out to do earned her a lot of accolades from her peers. She even volunteered to be my manager with regard to hosting gigs, DJing at events, and other such endeavors. Our being friends made this such a nice arrangement as she was more adept at it than I was. When the two of us would get together—also with other friends—we enjoyed each other’s company immensely: sharing stories over good food (We were both foodies!), a good bottle of wine, and lots of laughter…ahhhhhh! Those were priceless moments that sometimes lasted up until the wee hours of the morning.

Having a friend like Fran was such a blessing. She was a person who gave so much of herself, yet asked for very little in return—a testament to how she was brought up by her parents, Tito Romy and Tita Zeny, and for being surrounded by a lot of love from her sisters Nikki and Tere. It is rare these days to find a friend with such a “nurturing” trait, which is why some people lovingly called her ”Mamu.”
 
The times we had, good and bad, will always have a special place in my heart. I shall truly miss a person who was my dancing partner, my worst critic, my manager, and the one who was like a sister to me, my friend, Fran. There are no goodbyes. Just good vibes, babes!!!

First published UNO Magazine August 2010